The conference will focus on a rapidly-developing topic of substantial interest ot both basic biology and medicine, known as Programmed Cell Death, Physiological Cell Death, or Apoptosis. Although the topic has recently become very popular, most discussions have not generated a synthesis or overview. For this reason a Gordon Conference provides an ideal venue in which to develop such a synthesis. Speakers and attendees will be recruited with an eye toward bringing together a mix, and stimulating discussion from different background. The theme will emphasize functionality--nature and common features of the extracellular signals inducing cell death, signal transduction, and early steps in the commitment of the target cell to its death. Topics will include: Common features and definitions of cell death processes; Cell-death genes, genes up-regulated during cell death, and protective genes; intracellular activation of cell death; Extracellular controls of cell death, including growth factors and regulators of cell cycle; Extracellular regulation and intracellular activation of cell death in the reticulo-endothelial system; Neurotrophic and neuroregulatory controls of neuronal cell death; Pattern formation and pattern control genes regulating at cell death; and Therapeutic intervention in cell death. Speakers and chairs will be asked to deliberately challenge the concept of physiological cell death. Since the terms apoptosis, programmed cell death, and physiological cell death imply specific, not universal, sometimes exclusionary definition of causality, the title is intentionally general. We wish to avoid prejudgment or bias to the conference, and the speakers will be chosen with the intent of provoking examination of the limitations or extensiveness of the generalities. A final feature of this conference is that several slots for speakers will be held open until January, 1995 to allow the conference to accept late-breaking or unusual developments.